


My Friend, My Father, and Me

by violetvaria



Category: My Knight and Me (Cartoon)
Genre: Dragon & Human Interactions, Episode Tag, Father-Son Relationship, Friendship, Gen, canon-typical danger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 12:55:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18447008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetvaria/pseuds/violetvaria
Summary: Jimmy the squire and Bjorn the dragon just want to be friends. They are determined to defuse the enmity between their fathers. Tag to episode 1.50, "My Knight, My Dragon and Me."





	My Friend, My Father, and Me

**Author's Note:**

> "My Knight and Me" is a children's animated television series (CAKE Entertainment, 2017) that features ten-year-old Jimmy of Orange, who is squire to his gallant but not-overly-bright father Knight Henri, and Jimmy's best friend Cat, the princess of Epic.
> 
> Episode summary: In "My Knight, My Dragon and Me," Jimmy and Cat are playing with their friend Bjorn, who is a dragon and the son of Epic's number-one enemy, Bad Jack. Tired of nearly getting caught, they try to get Henri and Jack to be friends. Although the two fathers reach a temporary uneasy truce while their sons are in danger, the episode ends with Jimmy and Bjorn playing via their "smart-mirrors," still unable to be friends openly.

“Jimbo! You home?” Henri of Orange put first his sword and then his mandolin in their proper places, the habitual actions smooth and precise. “Jimmy?”

“Yeah, in here, Dad!” Jimmy called from the living room. “Hey, I gotta go, guys,” he said into his smart-mirror.

“Me too,” Cat said. “Mom and I are having dinner together tonight.” Only Jimmy, who had been her friend for almost her entire life, heard the undercurrent of excitement in her voice. He didn’t blame her. Unlike Jimmy, whose father rarely failed to have both breakfast and dinner—and often lunch—with his son, Cat’s mom didn’t have the luxury of much time away from her duties as Queen. While she spent as much time with Cat as possible, it wasn’t every day that mother and daughter were able to be alone together.

“Have fun, Cat,” Jimmy offered.

“Thanks!”

“I better go, too,” the third member of their gaming trio piped up. “My dad will probably be home soon. Don’t want him to know about…” Bjorn glanced around furtively, as though Bad Jack might overhear. For that matter, Jimmy wasn’t one-hundred percent sure how good dragons’ ears were. Maybe Jack _could_ hear. “You know.”

“Yeah,” both Jimmy and Cat agreed solemnly. Cat had plenty of free time with limited supervision and could be pretty confident of not getting caught playing _Angry Knights_ with a dragon. Jimmy’s dad only vaguely understood the concept of online gaming and was unlikely to ask any probing questions. But if Bad Jack caught Bjorn with his human friends…

“Text us tomorrow when your dad’s gone, okay?” Jimmy said quickly. He could hear Henri running water in the kitchen, probably beginning preparations for dinner.

“Yeah, all right. See you guys then.”

With final goodbyes, the three disconnected.

“Hey, Dad, what’s up?” If Jimmy’s smile was stretched a little too wide and his voice a shade too nervous, Henri didn’t appear to notice.

“Jimbo! Just the son I wanted to see. Peel those carrots for me, will you?” Henri waited until Jimmy was settled at the counter. “How was school today?”

Jimmy shrugged. “You know. The usual. How was—”

“C’mon, son, you can do better than that. I want details! Leave nothing out!” Henri paused in stirring the pot on the stove to wave his spoon cheerily at his son.

Jimmy relaxed into the familiar routine. He was accustomed to Henri wanting to hear even the most mundane details of his son’s day, which, to all appearances, the knight found fascinating.

“Uh, Red had us do those princess-carrying exercises again,” he offered.

“Yeah? You and Cat make it through the Dark Lands safely?” Henri teased.

“Actually, Dad, Red partnered us up differently. I had…Cynthia.”

Henri laughed at the disgusted look on his son’s face. “C’mon, Jim-Jam, it couldn’t have been that bad.”

“She spent the whole time playing with her hair and calling to Lance.” Jimmy scowled. “She wanted me to carry her ‘the way a proper princess should be carried,’” he mimicked.

Henri just laughed again. He was proud of his son’s curiosity and innovation, and he knew Jimmy would eventually learn the traditional ways of doing knightly tasks, albeit reluctantly and only in order to find ways to improve on them.

“So what did you do today, Dad?” Jimmy asked eagerly as Henri took the peeled carrots and added them to the pot on the stove. The days he wasn’t able to accompany Henri as his squire chafed. He hated to miss any of the action.

“Oh, nothing much, son. Some of us went to the troll orphanage to help repair the roof. It was really in bad shape! From what the kids said, it sounded like some dragon hit their roof on his way somewhere else. Didn’t take any of the trolls, just left their home burning.” Henri shook his head sadly, but Jimmy had heard the dark tinge of anger in his voice and the contemptuous way he spoke the word _dragon_.

Jimmy’s heart sank. He and Bjorn had done their best to bring their fathers together, hoping to bridge the gap between human and dragon. It hadn’t gone well.

Actually, Jimmy reflected, no one had been eaten, stabbed, or torched, so it had probably gone about as well as could be expected.

Pensive, he was unable to ask any follow-up questions about the orphanage or the plight of the young trolls and instead sat quietly as Henri filled two bowls with his famous carrot stew. The two ate in silence for a few moments, Jimmy moodily wondering how he could solve this human-dragon issue once and for all.

Henri, for his part, was back to his normal sunny temperament after a moment of anger, thinking about the poor troll orphans. He didn’t mind silence with his son. It just gave him an opportunity to watch his boy, the cleverest boy in all of Epic, and definitely—although he would not embarrass Jimmy by saying this in front of anyone—the cutest too.

“More stew, son?” Henri asked solicitously.

“Um, no, thanks, Dad. I’m full.”

“Right. Do you have homework? I’ll do the dishes.”

“Thanks, Dad, but I can help.” Jimmy stood in sudden determination. He knew what he had to do. “I need to talk to you.”

“Sure, son. What about?”

“Um—” Jimmy’s resolve failed him for a moment. “I, uh, finished my homework already.”

Henri, thankfully, did not comment on this odd pronouncement. “Already? Good for you, Jim-Jam! Is that what you were working on when I got home?”

This was his second chance. Jimmy took a deep breath. He wouldn’t pass up an opportunity again.

“Actually, Dad, I was playing _Angry Knights_ online. You know, with friends.”

“Uh-huh. That’s nice, son.”

Jimmy knew that Henri was incredibly disinterested in _Angry Knights_ and only knew what it was from hearing Jimmy talk about it.

“It’s our favorite game,” Jimmy pursued.

“I know, kiddo.” Henri handed his son a freshly cleaned bowl to dry. “Uh, did you and your friends have fun?”

This question, too, was entirely expected. Henri never asked if Jimmy won games, believing that the fun was not in winning or losing but in doing. But it gave Jimmy the opening he needed.

“Yeah, we did, Dad.” Jimmy put the last of the dishes back into the cupboard, braced himself, and forced himself to speak steadily. “It was me, Cat…and Bjorn.”

For a moment, Henri didn’t speak, and Jimmy held his breath.

“Bjorn?” Henri was frowning, running through a mental roster. “Is he new in your class?”

“No, Dad, Bjorn is—Bjorn is—”

By now, Henri had finished wiping down the counter and was hanging up his dish towel. He looked down at his son.

Jimmy found he couldn’t maintain eye contact. But he had to finish this.

“Bjorn is Bad Jack’s son, Dad,” he said softly.

For a moment, it seemed all the air had been sucked from the room.

“What?!” Henri finally exclaimed. “A dragon? What—”

“Listen, Dad,” Jimmy interrupted desperately. “Me and Bjorn have been friends for a long time. Remember when I said I found that helmet in a dragon’s horde? Bjorn gave that to me from his dad’s stash. And remember when Wilfried captured Bjorn? It was ‘cause Bjorn and I were pretending he was my pet dragon to make Lance jealous. And remember when we found the diamond of supreme power? We were there ‘cause we were helping Bjorn keep his dad’s treasure safe while he was sleeping. And—”

Jimmy paused breathlessly, suddenly worried not for himself, but for his father.

Henri’s face had gone slack, his jaw hanging and eyes blank. He began slumping to the floor.

“Um, easy, Dad.” Jimmy quickly steered his father over to the couch, where Henri collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut. Jimmy perched next to him, wondering if he’d irreparably damaged something in his father’s brain.

“Dad?” he called softly. “Dad, you in there?”

“Jimmy…” Henri managed in a strangled voice. Jimmy let out a relieved sigh.

“Dad, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.” Jimmy forced himself to slow down after blurting out so much information in one breath. It wasn’t hard when he realized how guilty he felt about keeping secrets from his father.

Henri was always completely honest with his son, even when other parents might not be. Years ago, when Jimmy had heard other kids talking about the tooth fairy, Henri had told him the truth, with a warning not to tell the other children. When Jimmy went to the doctor, Henri had told him frankly that the shot might hurt, but that he would stay with him the whole time.

In return, Jimmy didn’t often keep secrets from his dad. He felt it was their unspoken pact, the Oranges against the world. It was time to tell Henri the truth about his friendship with a dragon.

“Me and Cat and Bjorn…” Jimmy hesitated and started again. “Dad, yesterday morning me and Cat went to Bjorn’s place.”

“Bad Jack’s lair,” Henri breathed, still unable to produce more than a few words at a time.

Jimmy winced. “Yeah. Um, we were gonna play _Angry Knights_ there ‘cause Bad Jack wasn’t supposed to be home. But he _was_ home, so we came here instead.” He paused, watching to see if his father was coming out of his near-catatonic state.

“You…and Cat…and…Bjorn.”

Jimmy nodded. “Uh-huh. We, uh, we were here when you got here. We snuck out the back when we heard you coming.”

Henri still felt unable to process everything his son was saying, but at least a few things were making sense. “The sandwiches,” he said.

Jimmy nodded again. “And then Cat said we should get you and Bjorn’s dad to be friends so we didn’t have to sneak around, and then I came up with a plan, and me and Bjorn decided to go…” His rapid stream of words trailed off as he noticed Henri’s face go pale.

“You—you went to the giant…on _purpose_?”

Jimmy cringed a little. “It wasn’t supposed to be dangerous, Dad! The giant wasn’t there. Me and Bjorn were just going to get a picture so you and Bad Jack would come rescue us, and then we’d all leave without the giant ever knowing we were there. And it almost worked!”

Henri’s mouth was hanging open again, and he was unable to respond.

“But, see, Dad, you and Jack have a lot in common! I mean, how great were you two together in taking down that giant? And, uh…” Jimmy scratched the back of his head, a gesture he’d inherited from his father, realizing he hadn’t thought this all the way through. “And you both like pizza?” he offered weakly.

Henri shook his head, slowly at first, and then with a jerk, as though trying to clear his mind. “Jimmy…” He looked down into the pleading eyes of his son, the one person who meant more to him than anyone in the world.

“Dad, please don’t be mad,” Jimmy whispered. “Bjorn and I just want to be friends.”

A heavy silence hung over the two for a long moment. Finally, Henri staggered to his feet.

“I…I’ve gotta take a walk,” Henri mumbled, shuffling toward the door.

“Dad?” Jimmy leaped to his feet. “But, Dad…okay,” he finished meekly as the door slammed shut.

 _That did not go as expected_ , Jimmy thought, sinking back down to the couch, which felt oddly empty now.

 _Well, what did you expect?_ another voice chimed in.

 _Okay. It didn’t go as I hoped_ , Jimmy amended. He wrapped his arms around his stomach, which he suddenly realized was in knots. _What if Dad never speaks to me again?_

 

~~~

 

Had Henri known the anxiety he was causing his son, he would likely have immediately returned home. As it was, however, his mind felt full of cotton, and he couldn’t think of anything. He wasn’t even sure where he was going, just that his legs were striding through the darkness, seemingly of their own volition.

He wasn’t sure how long he walked. All he could hear was the buzzing inside his head. Suddenly, one thought pierced through, like a ray of sun peeking from behind a cloud.

He was in front of Bad Jack’s lair.

Henri felt clear and in control once again. This was obviously where he needed to be. He needed to talk— _talk_ , not fight, he reminded himself—with Epic Enemy Number One himself.

He rang the bell.

 

~~~

 

“Lights out, son,” Bad Jack was saying, poking his head into his son’s room.

“Aw, Dad. Ten more minutes. I’m almost finished reading the latest adventures of _Dragon Knight_.” Bjorn held up his comic book.

“Hmph.” As it usually did, this provoked a snort of derision from his father, who had no use for knights, dragon or otherwise. “W—”

Whatever his dad may have decided about the lights-out question was interrupted by the sound of the front doorbell.

Jack’s ears swiveled. “Who could it be at this time of night?” he growled, casting a suspicious eye at his son, as though Bjorn would have the answer.

This didn’t faze the young dragon, who knew his father’s default facial expression was one of suspicion. “I don’t know, Dad.”

“Hmph.” Bad Jack snorted again and stomped down the hallway. Bjorn happily returned to his comic.

“Yeah, Dragon Knight,” he whispered. “The most powerful knight of all…‘cause he’s a dragon!”

“A knight?” Bjorn heard his father roar.

“A dragon knight!” Bjorn called back, grinning. A second later, Bjorn sat bolt upright in bed. “Wait, what?” He darted to his window.

 

~~~

 

It was well past Jimmy’s bedtime, but he didn’t want to sleep until his dad was back home. He was still curled anxiously on the couch when his smart-mirror rang. Bjorn.

“Hel—”

“Jimmy! Your dad is here!”

“What? Here? You mean, like, at your lair?”

“Of course I mean here! He just rang the bell! Jimmy, what—Uh-oh.”

“What? Uh-oh _what_ , Bjorn?”

Bjorn just held his smart-mirror up so Jimmy could hear the unmistakable sound of Bad Jack’s roar.

“I’ll be right there!” Jimmy dashed for the door, noticing for the first time that his father’s sword was not in its usual place. Henri must have grabbed it without his son seeing. “Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh what, Jimmy? We don’t need any more _uh-ohs_!” Bjorn sounded on the verge of panic, and Jimmy couldn’t blame him.

“Okay, I’m taking Torpedo.” Jimmy whistled for the horse, who trotted up immediately, curious about his humans’ strange activities tonight. “I can be there in just a few.”

“Yeah, but what do I do, Jimmy? Got any plans?”

 _Keep them from killing each other_ , was Jimmy’s main idea. Somehow, he didn’t think that was the best thing to say. “Um…”

And then, as he so often did, earning him his reputation as a man of ideas, Jimmy came up with the kernel of a plan.

“Okay, Bjorny, here’s what you need to do…”

 

~~~

 

“A knight?” Bad Jack roared, more startled than angry. He had never had a knight ring the doorbell before. At least not at this time of night.

“Jack, I’m not here to fight,” Henri said staunchly. “I’m just here to talk.”

“Oh, really? And what do you think we have to talk about, knight?”

“I’m not here as a knight,” Henri entered the lair slowly, hands raised placatingly. “I’m here as a father. To talk about our sons.”

“What? Bjorn?” Bad Jack’s head snapped back, and he automatically looked around, as though saying his son’s name would conjure him.

Apparently it did. Bjorn chose that moment to stroll into the cavern, attempting to appear casual. “Hey, Dad.” He peered around his father’s massive foot. “Hey, Mister Henri.”

“Um, hi, Bjorn,” Henri responded perplexedly.

“Bjorn, what is the meaning—”

“Dad, Henri is my friend Jimmy’s dad.” Despite what Jimmy thought, dragons did not have especially good hearing. This meant Bad Jack missed the tiny tremor of nervousness in his son’s voice, and Henri did not know Bjorn well enough to pick up on it either.

Henri stared at the small dragon for a moment. This was independent confirmation of Jimmy’s story. Not that he had doubted his son’s honesty, but…friends with a _dragon_? It did strain the imagination.

“He’s—what? Who?” Bad Jack was floundering for words.

Bjorn pointed one claw at the knight. “That’s Henri. He has a son, Jimmy. Jimmy is my friend. And so is Cat.” Bjorn was gaining courage every moment his dad and Henri weren’t fighting.

“Wha…” Bad Jack’s eyes appeared to glaze over, and his mouth hung open.

Bjorn plunged ahead. “Remember when you went to sleep last time? Jimmy and Cat helped me protect your treasure.”

At the mention of treasure, Jack snapped out of his stupor. “You let humans near my treasure?” he growled, lowering his head to glare at his son.

Bjorn shuffled a step back but then stood his ground. “They helped me, Dad. ‘Cause they’re my friends. And—”

“Enough! No son of mine is friends with _humans_!”

“Bjorn!”

All three turned at the sound of a new voice. Jimmy leaped from Torpedo’s back and raced in to stand next to his father.

“Jimmy!” Bjorn called gladly.

“Jimmy!” Henri gazed at his son, aghast to see him willingly enter a dragon’s lair.

“Who’s this, then?” Bad Jack snapped irritably. He sniffed in the direction of the newcomer. “Oh. You’re the little knight, aren’t you. The squire.”

“Dad, Jimmy is my friend,” Bjorn tried again.

“Dad, Bjorn is my friend,” Jimmy agreed.

“Well, isn’t this all nice and heartwarming,” Jack sneered. “But I already told you. You are _not_ going to be friends with humans! Dragons _eat_ humans!”

“You haven’t eaten a human in ages! You said you don’t like the way they taste.”

Bad Jack seemed to have no answer for that other than a snarl. “You listen to me, boy,” he growled. “No humans!” With that, he spat a ball of fire into the air, igniting some curtains. Henri reflexively shoved Jimmy behind him and pulled out his sword.

“Dad, no!” Jimmy jumped on his father’s arm, attempting to pull the sword free.

“Dad!” Bjorn ducked as a bit of flaming cloth dropped to the floor mere feet from him. The flames were flicking higher now, curling up and around the clamps holding the enormous cage Bad Jack kept for intruders. The entire structure shuddered and groaned.

“Bjorn!” Jimmy looked across the space a bit desperately. Things were getting out of hand. He glanced up to see the chains give way, the heavy iron cage plunging toward the ground. “Watch out!”

In a blur of motion, Henri dove across the cavern and tackled Bjorn out of the way, bits of burning curtain still falling around them.

“Huh?” Bad Jack stared at the bent iron bars for a moment as though unable to remember how the cage had gotten there, and then stomped the last of the flaming cloth out with one giant foot.

“Dad, you were amazing!” Jimmy cheered.

Henri coughed as the smoke rose. “Uh, thanks, son. Um…are you okay?” he asked Bjorn hesitantly.

Before the young dragon could answer, Bad Jack’s tail swept Henri out of the way, and Jack leaned over his son. “Uh, I’m sorry there, son. It was an accident. You all right? There’s a big dragon.” He patted the top of Bjorn’s head awkwardly.

Bjorn took a deep breath, not minding the smell of smoke, and stood. “Dad, I want to be friends with Jimmy. And…and you have to be okay with that.”

Bad Jack flashed a glare back at the squire, who had helped his father up. “I don’t have to be okay with anything, Bjorn. I’m the father here, and what I say goes.”

Bjorn had never in his life contradicted his father when he used that lowered tone. But glancing over at Jimmy and Henri, he lifted his chin defiantly. “Then I’m going to go live with Mom.”

There was dead silence.

Henri gave Jimmy an incredulous look, as though to say, _There’s another dragon around here?_

Jimmy shrugged back. He had never met Bjorn’s mom, but he knew she lived on the other side of the Dark Lands. In fact, he was the one who had suggested this drastic measure to his friend.

“What did you say?” Bad Jack finally snarled, his tail lashing back and forth in barely contained rage.

“I’m—” Bjorn swallowed hard. “You heard me.”

For a tense moment, Jimmy wondered if he’d made a huge miscalculation. What would they do if Bad Jack went into a dragon fury?

And then Jack slumped.

“Now, son, there’s no need for that. Eh, you don’t want to go all the way out there, now do you?” Jack attempted another head-pat, but Bjorn sidestepped and aimed a glare of his own. “C’mon, son, you know I didn’t mean the whole…y’know…almost crushing you thing, there.” Jack chuckled uncomfortably. “You wouldn’t hold that against me, would you?”

Henri turned to his son, bewildered. “What is going on?” he whispered.

Jimmy shrugged, hiding a smile. “I guess some fathers will do anything for their sons.”

Henri paused. “Jimmy…you planned this, didn’t you?”

A faint smile crept onto Jimmy’s face. “Maybe.”

“Ooh—” Henri didn’t know how to respond and settled for snatching his son up in one of his bone-crushing hugs. “You.”

For the first time in hours, Jimmy felt he could breathe again, even though his ribcage was being dangerously constricted. “Dad, you’ll let me and Bjorn be friends if Bad Jack says it’s okay, right?”

“I still don’t like it, Jimmy. But…we can try it. For a little while.”

“Woo-hoo! Thanks, Dad!”

Jimmy’s whoop earned him the attention of both Bad Jack and Bjorn.

“Grr…gotta get these humans outta here,” Bad Jack grumbled.

“Dad!” Bjorn waited until at least one of his father’s eyes was on him rather than on Henri and Jimmy. “If you want me to stay here, you have to let me be friends with Jimmy.”

“But—”

“And that means no burning Jimmy or his dad,” Bjorn added.

Jack’s ears drooped. “But, Bjorn, humans and dragons have never been friends.”

“But maybe they could be!” Jimmy called.

Bad Jack wheeled to face him again, and Henri reached for his son’s shoulders and pulled him back.

Undeterred, Jimmy continued, “We have a chance to make history here! A human-dragon alliance!”

“Just like the Dragon Knight!” Bjorn chimed in.

“Who?” Henri asked, just as Bad Jack said, “The what?”

Jimmy and Bjorn simultaneously rolled their eyes.

“Mister Bad Jack, please just let Bjorn come to my house to play _Angry Knights_ ,” Jimmy asked as politely as he knew how.

“Yeah, please, Dad.” Bjorn spread his arms as far as they would go around his father’s chest.

Jack responded automatically, arms squeezing his son. “I don’t know, Bjorn. I mean, think of the scandal if it got out. And what about all those knights just waiting for a taste of dragon?”

For the first time since he’d entered, Henri addressed Jack directly. “I’ll make sure your son is safe. He won’t be harmed as long as he’s in my home.”

The two fathers shared a long, thoughtful look. Jimmy and Bjorn held their breath eagerly.

“All right,” Bad Jack finally growled. “We’ll try one time.”

“Yeah! Thanks, Dad!”

“Woo-hoo!”

“How about Saturday?” Henri offered. “I have the day off, and I can watch the kids.”

“Fine,” Jack sighed.

“Great. Well, uh, we’ll be going now.” Henri began shooing his son toward the door.

“Bye, Bjorn. See you Saturday!” Jimmy called.

“Yeah! See you Saturday!” Bjorn echoed.

As soon as the door closed behind Henri and Jimmy, Bjorn flew up and hugged his father’s neck, catching him off-guard.

“Night, Dad. Love you.”

Before Bad Jack could respond, his son had dashed off to his room.

 

~~~

 

Outside, Henri was faintly surprised to see Torpedo waiting for them, until he realized that of course Jimmy must have ridden at top speed to get to the dragon’s lair. He had saddled the horse but hadn’t bothered to attach the sidecar, so Henri swung up into the saddle and pulled his son up to sit in front of him.

Jimmy said nothing, chewing on his lower lip. It was clear that Henri wanted to have a serious talk. Jimmy swallowed hard. He hoped at least Bjorn wasn’t in trouble. The comment about his mom had shut Jack down pretty quickly, and Jack _had_ agreed to let Bjorn come on Saturday.

Now as long as Jimmy wasn’t in trouble instead…

“You were great, Dad,” he offered tentatively. “You know, saving Bjorn from getting crushed and all.”

Henri sighed. “I’m not a monster, Jim. I’m not going to let a child get hurt, even if he is a dragon.”

“I don’t think you’re a monster, Dad,” Jimmy said almost inaudibly.

They were both silent for a while, the only sound Torpedo’s steady hoofbeats.

Jimmy glanced over his shoulder, trying to gauge what his father was thinking. His expression was grimmer than usual, so he clearly wasn’t happy. But while Jimmy could usually figure out exactly what his dad wanted to hear, this was uncharted territory.

Finally, he couldn’t take the silence anymore. He would have to take a chance. He flipped one leg over so he could twist halfway around. As he had known he would, Henri automatically adjusted his arms around his son to help him stay balanced.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Bjorn earlier, Dad.”

Henri sighed again, pulling Jimmy close. “I just can’t believe how far you would go…”

Jimmy thought guiltily of pushing Bjorn through a window so he, Bjorn, and Cat could flee into the woods.

“We just kind of panicked. It wasn’t planned or anything. I mean, I guess Cat and I could have stayed behind, but—”

“What?”

Jimmy blinked at his father’s confused expression. “Huh?”

“James, you almost got yourself killed by going into that giant’s den.”

Jimmy winced. Ah, there it was. He should have guessed that would be uppermost in his father’s mind. Everything else paled in comparison to Jimmy’s safety.

“I know it was risky, Dad. It—it wasn’t supposed to be.”

“I know, the giant wasn’t supposed to be there,” Henri agreed impatiently. “But he was, and what if I hadn’t been able to get there in time? What it—” He choked on the words.

“Dad, I’m really, really sorry. I won’t do it again.”

Henri’s mouth tightened and he shook his head. “You can’t put yourself in danger like that.”

“I know, Dad. I won’t. I promise.”

A sudden thought made Henri pull Torpedo to a halt. “Did that dragon talk you into getting captured by a giant?”

The unknowing absurdity of the question almost made Jimmy laugh. “No way! I talked _him_ into it! He didn’t want to, but…oh.” Jimmy hung his head. “I was just trying to get you and Bad Jack to be friends.”

Henri clucked to Torpedo, who gladly continued toward home. “And that was the best idea you could come up with?”

Jimmy shrugged, managing to prevent himself from saying that it was the _first_ idea he’d come up with. Somehow he didn’t think Henri would be overly impressed with that nugget of information.

“Jimmy…” Henri shook his head. “Well, you’ll have plenty of time to think of other ideas this week.”

Jimmy huddled down, taking comfort in the solid warmth of his father’s chest. “I’m grounded, huh?”

“Yep.”

Jimmy tipped his head, not too surprised. “How long?”

Henri wrapped his arms around his son and ruffled his hair. “Until Saturday. Then we’ve got company coming.”

The grin on Jimmy’s face seemed to light the night. “You’re right, Dad!”

 

~~~

 

Bjorn was contentedly imagining days spent with his friends without having to sneak behind their parents’ backs. He was lying in bed, grinning into the darkness, when his father crept quietly into the room.

Bjorn made a snap decision and shut his eyes tightly. No reason to let Jack know he was still awake. At least, not until he figured out what kind of mood his dad was in.

“Bjorn?” Bad Jack called softly.

Receiving no response, he moved closer to his son’s bed. As he had when Bjorn was younger, before he could produce even the smallest flame on his own, Jack breathed a careful ring of fire into the pit surrounding the bed.

Jack rested a gentle hand on his son’s head, silently apologizing for accidentally endangering him. As angry as he’d been, that hadn’t been his intention. He’d just been releasing his frustration in the only way he knew how.

Bjorn was careful not to react to his father’s touch, aided by the relaxing warmth of the newly rekindled fire. Although he lit the fire pit himself most nights, he couldn’t yet create the steady flames that an adult dragon could. The comforting sound of the fire lulled him closer to sleep.

Jack was stroking his son’s head now, more willing to engage in such behavior with Bjorn soundly asleep. He dropped down next to the bed, curling his tail around the young dragon, one hand still gently smoothing over the scales of Bjorn’s forehead.

After a moment, Jack looked down at himself and scowled. When had he gotten so soft? He was a dragon! The greatest of hunters! The mightiest of beasts! And he was letting some whelp of a boy dictate to him?

“Rotten little tadpole,” he growled, but softly, so as not to wake said young one.

Bjorn jerked slightly at that but managed to keep his eyes shut, hoping his father wouldn’t notice. Jack hadn’t called him a “tadpole” for ages, and Bjorn couldn’t tell if it was still a term of endearment—not with his father’s current tone.

Jack immediately stilled, trying not to wake his son. When Bjorn made no further movement, Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

 _And what kind of idiot are you_ , he accused himself, _hanging around like a…_ His imagination, never strong, failed him even in his own metaphor, but the sentiment was clear. He should be capturing princesses, or counting his treasure, or drilling his fire-breathing skills, or _something_ other than staring down at a tiny dragon who wasn’t even conscious.

But he couldn’t make himself move.

 _You wouldn’t like it at your mum’s, boy_ , he thought to his son. _She…_

Bad Jack scowled. He didn’t actually know what Bjorn’s mother’s lair was like. Truthfully, he didn’t know much about her at all. Fully grown dragons were generally solitary, apart from the occasional friendly gathering and the even-rarer mating. Jack and Marnhilda had stayed together out of practicality while their egg was incubating—it was easier for two dragons to protect and warm an egg than one. But she had made it clear that once their hatchling arrived, they were going their separate ways, and Jack had been just as eager to see her go.

They had never discussed it, but there was an assumption during that period of waiting that the hatchling would live with its mother. Holiday visits and perhaps a few weeks in the summer were expected among dragons. Jack had every intention of doing his part—but no more than that.

And then…Bjorn.

It had never before occurred to Jack that baby dragons could be so dangerously cute. He had never considered them at all. And now a baby dragon existed that eclipsed the thought of all other dragons, blinded him completely, consumed his mind…

He had fought Marnhilda to keep the boy, acting as though it had always been his intention to raise the hatchling on his own, and pointing out—at rather unnecessary length—that a boy needed a father. Truthfully, he didn’t have to fight hard. Marnhilda, like Jack, was prepared to do her duty as a parent, but if she could get by with holiday visits, that suited her fine.

So she left. And Bad Jack thought about her very little. Bjorn saw her a few times a year but never spoke about her, and now that he was old enough to travel the final leg of the journey by himself, Jack never even had to see her.

And yet Bjorn had threatened to go live with her permanently.

Bad Jack was unable to suppress a growl at the thought, and he wrapped his tail more tightly around his son, as though to prevent Marnhilda from snatching him away.

“Would you really go, son?” he whispered huskily. “Just a bit of a disagreement is all. No reason to—”

He leaned down and kissed his son’s scaly temple.

He was not prepared for his son jerking back in surprise, his eyes flying open. The two dragons stared at each other, one embarrassed, one astonished.

“Uh…been awake this whole time, have you?” Jack asked awkwardly.

Bjorn continued staring wide-eyed at his normally undemonstrative father.

They were both silent for another minute.

“You know I—she hasn’t—” The words wouldn’t come. Indeed, Jack’s thoughts were too muddled to even put into words. He just had a vague feeling that he needed to prove to Bjorn that he was better off with his father.

“Dad.” Bjorn saved him from floundering further. “I’m sorry I said I was going to live with Mom.”

Bad Jack let out a breath as though he had just been released from under a fifty-ton boulder. “Heh, I…knew you didn’t mean it, boy,” he said a bit unsteadily. “Get—go to sleep now.” He eased his tail away from Bjorn, seeming to think his son wouldn’t notice if he moved carefully enough.

“Okay, Dad,” Bjorn said calmly, closing his eyes.

Jack paused for just a moment inside the door. “Goodnight, tadpole,” he murmured, leaving the room quickly enough that he didn’t see his son’s peaceful smile.

 

 ~~~

 

Saturday dawned bright and clear. Both Henri and Jimmy were up early. It was difficult to tell which was more keyed up. Henri donned his favorite apron and began baking muffins. Jimmy prowled around, brushing away the stray speck of dust. The house was already immaculate thanks to several days of nothing to do but clean.

“Dad, did you order the pizza?” he called, not for the first time.

“Sure did! Did you call Cat?”

Jimmy gave the same answer he’d already provided three times. “Uh-huh! She’s going to come over later. I’ll let her know when.” His ears pricked up. “Is that them?”

Both Oranges rushed to the door, just as they had half a dozen times already. But this time, they spotted two distinctive shapes in the air, one with enormous outstretched wings, and one smaller but still very dragon-shaped.

“Bjorn!” Jimmy waved.

“Hey, Jimmy!” Bjorn called as the two dragons began their descent. The flight had taken longer than usual because they were careful to circumvent Epic. Bjorn could have ridden part of the way on his father’s back, but he didn’t want to give Jack any excuse to cut the day short. The young dragon was glad to touch down in his friend’s yard and give his wings a rest. “Hi, Mister Henri.”

“Uh, yeah, hi, Bjorn. Um, Bad Jack.”

“Knight,” Jack rumbled back.

All four stood in silence for a few seconds.

“Hey, Bjorn, Dad ordered pizza! Hot chili pepper!”

Bjorn’s face lit up. “My favorite!” He started for the door, paused, and looked back at his father. “Bye, Dad. I’ll see you later.”

Jack surprised his son by snatching him up in a brief, fierce hug. “All right, son. I’ll pick you up at 5. Eh, don’t burn anything down. I guess.”

Bjorn giggled. “I won’t.” When his father set him back down, he raced over to Jimmy. “Hey, do I smell muffins?”

“Yeah! My dad’s famous strawberry-banana muffins! We can have some while we play. Actually, before. You’re gonna need both hands to take me on, Fire Breath!”

“Oh, yeah? You’re goin’ down, Squire Boy!”

Laughing, the two boys disappeared into the house.

Henri and Jack were left outside, studiously avoiding looking at each other.

“You know my son’s favorite pizza?” Bad Jack finally asked, his tone faintly belligerent but mostly puzzled.

Henri shrugged. “Well, Jimmy mentioned it, and we like any kind, so we thought it would be nice.”

There was another awkward pause.

“I guess I owe you a…thanks, or something. For getting my boy out of harm’s way. The other night.”

Henri shifted uneasily. “Well, uh…you’d do the same for Jimmy.”

Jack seemed to consider that for a moment. “I don’t know that I would.”

To his surprise, Henri smiled. “I think you’re far more honorable than you know, B—Jack.”

“Hmph.”

A peal of laughter caused both fathers to turn and gaze at the house for a moment.

“Your boy…” Jack struggled for words. “He’ll—he won’t hurt my son.” It was halfway between a question and a plea.

Henri looked up at the mighty dragon, and for the first time found himself wondering if Jimmy had been right after all, and maybe he and Jack did have more in common than they thought. “Bjorn will be safe here, Jack. I give my word as a knight.”

Bad Jack jerked his head in what might have been thanks. “All right. I’ll be back at 5.” Jack drew himself up to his full, impressive height. “And if my son has so much as a scratch on him, I’ll torch this place to the ground.”

Henri half-smiled as he watched Bad Jack fly off. “I’d expect nothing less,” he said softly. He turned and walked into the house to revel in the laughter of their two sons.

**Author's Note:**

> References to the following episodes:  
> 1.8 "The Helmet of Epic," in which Bjorn provides Jimmy with a helmet from his dad's treasure stash  
> 1.24 "The Dragon Rider," in which Jimmy pretends Bjorn is his pet dragon to make the other kids jealous  
> 1.39 "Sleeping Jack," in which Bad Jack is asleep and Jimmy and Cat help Bjorn protect the dragon's treasure
> 
> Bjorn's mother was never mentioned in the show, so I made up Marnhilda and her relationship with Jack and Bjorn.


End file.
